DUDLEY residents of all species are getting set for celebrations and events to mark Black Country Day.

The Black Country flag will be flying over Dudley Castle throughout the weekend ahead of Black Country Day on Monday July 14 and the zoo is planning a culinary caper to bring dialect into its dinner time.

From Friday July 11 until the big day the menu for the zoo’s 1,300 animals will be written in the area’s unique language with taters, weeds and pays all lined up for lunch.

Dudley Zoo’s head of communications, Jill Hitchman, said: "Every day our animals are fed a vast selection of bostin’ fresh, seasonal fruit and vegetables, all sourced locally to ensure they get the very best.”

Dudley Museum and Art Gallery is hosting a series of talks on Black Country Day about the area’s role in four major wars.

The talks, created and performed by museum’s intern Richard Cartwright, will look at how people from the Black Country played their part in The Crimean war 1854-1856, The Zulu war 1879, The Boer war 1899-1902 and The Great war 1914-1918.

The event at the St James’ Road museum is free and will run from 10am to 4pm.

Himley Hall is taking Black Country Day to art with an exhibition from cartoonist and comedy writer Geoff Tristram to mark his 60th birthday.

The hall is usually closed on Mondays but will be open on Black Country Day for visitors to see Mr Tristram’s work, which includes commissions from the BBC, Trivial Pursuit, Penguin Books, UB40 and Steve Bull.

The Earl of Dudley Estate Collection will also be on show to celebrate eight centuries of Black Country history.

The hall’s opening hours are 2 to 5pm. For more information call 01384 817817, or visit www.dudley.gov.uk/himleyhall

A total of 70 adults from the four Black Country boroughs, Dudley, Walsall, Wolverhampton and Sandwell will be inducted as British and Black Country citizens at a ceremony at Dudley Town Hall.

The ceremony, on Black Country Day, will be the first time all four authorities have carried out an induction together.

Councillor Rachel Harris, Dudley cabinet member for corporate resources, said: “This is the first time that Black Country Day will be celebrated across the region. To commemorate this we decided that it would be appropriate to host a citizenship ceremony for the whole Black Country.

“We are delighted to organise this so that as we welcome our soon-to-be British nationals they can also appreciate the Black Country’s culture and heritage and enjoy becoming part of local history.”

For details of all Black Country Festival events throughout July visit www.blackcountryfestival.weebly.com/events.html

Anyone holding events for the festival should email info@blackcountryfestival.co.uk to get their celebrations listed on websites and event programmes.